South Korea Chief Orders Martial Law

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 17—President Park Chung Hee proclaimed martial law tonight throughout South Korea, suspended part of the Constitution, dissolved the National Assembly and suspended all political activities.

Press censorship was also imposed, and all universities and colleges were closed.

In a statement broadcast just before the martial law went into effect at 7 P.M., Mr. Park said that the extraordinary measures were “fundamentally designed to reform the political structure” of South Korea to cope with the “rapidly changing international situation around us” and successfully carry on the current dialogue with North Korea for peaceful unification of the divided country.

Noting that the talks with the North had caused “legal and political arguments” here as to constitutionality, Mr. Park said the Cabinet would announce by Oct. 27 draft amend ments to the nation's basic law with a view to laying a legal basis for the negotiations. He said the proposals would then be put to a national referendum, and he promised to restore normal constitutional order “by the end of this year at the latest.”

[In Washington, State Department officials said the United States had conveyed its disapproval of the martiallaw procedure “in the stiffest terms.” Speaking privately, they also said they believed Mr. Park's action was essentially an attempt to assure himself of continued power after his present four‐year term ends in 1975.]

The legality of the South Koroan Government's talks with the Communist regime of North Korea has been questioned on the ground that the present constitution provides that the Government in Seoul has sole jurisdiction over all of Korea. Thus it does not recognize the rxistence of any regime in the north.

The Constitution was last amended by legislative means in 1969 to permit Mr. Park to run for his current, third consecutive four‐year term, but his Democratic Republican party Commanded the required two‐thirds majority in the National Assembly then. The party lost that majority in, elections last year, and it now holds only 114 of the 204 seats.

The Constitution now bars a fourth term.

Kim Sun Jin, the Presidential spokesman, told newsmen Shortly before Mr. Park's offidal announcement of martial law that there would be new Presidential and parliamentary elections on the basis of a new constitution before martial law could he lifted. He said the situation would be normalized “in about two months.”

President Park did not specify, in his declaration what amendments to the Constitution his Cabinet would propose. But he said that if they were not approved in the national referendum, “I will take it as an expression of the will of our people against the South‐North dialogue and, therefore, will seek another new approach to the task of national unifica, tion.”

The President did not elaborate on what new approach he might take.

Army Vehicles Deployed

Immediately after his stateroent, several army tanks and armored vehicles were deployed in front of the National Assembly building, the presidential Mansion and the central GOVOnment building. Hundreds of helmeted soldiers armed with rifles took positions at key intersections in downtown Seoul.

Gen. Roll Jae Hyun, the Army dhief of Staff, who was appointed the martial law commander, decreed that all radio and television as well as press reports now had to pass through censorship and that all universities and colleges were to be closed “for the time being.” He also ordered a ban on political gatherings and strikes.

Although he did not particularly mention foreign news reports out of South Korea, official sources said that the foreign press would not be affected by the censorship order, except for radiophotos.

The general also declared that the present midnight‐to4 A.M. curfew, which has been in effect since the Korean war, would continue to be enforced. South Korea has been under a state of national emergency declared by Mr. Park last Dec. 6 to cope with what he described as the “grave situation” facing the nation as a result of the changing international situation and North Korea's “ag,gressive designs.”

Today the President declared that the present Constitution and political structure of the nation were “fixed in the coldwar era” and therefore were not suitable for improvement of relations with North Korea. It was the third time that he had nnvoked martial law since he came to power in a military coup I I years ago.

He asserted that he had found it unavoidable to suspend some provisions of the Constitution and impose martial law this time because the “great reformation” now needed could not he accomplished “by ordinary means.”

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A version of this archives appears in print on October 18, 1972, on Page 97 of the New York edition with the headline: South Korea Chief Orders Martial Law. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe